The MurthyDotCom NewsBrief Artists, Athletes, and Entertainers: O, P, and Q Visas (30.Mar.2021) provides a general overview of some of the options available to artists, athletes, and entertainers seeking to come to the United States. However, determining which of these options may work best in any...
There are various nonimmigrant options that may be available to foreign national artists, athletes, entertainers, and those who wish to participate in a cultural exchange program in the United States. Choosing the right classification for an individual or group engaged in any such activities may...
Employers of foreign nationals holding H1B, H1B1, and E-3 statuses are held to certain requirements stemming from the underlying labor condition applications (LCAs) filed with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). One such requirement is to maintain a file that is available for public inspection....
The I visa allows members of the foreign press and other foreign "information media representatives" to enter the United States in order to work in this vocation. While this nonimmigrant category is not as broad and versatile as some other employment-based statuses, such as H1B,...
Effective May 1, 2019, citizens of Israel will be able to access the E-2 (treaty investor) visa category. The United States and Israel had signed a qualifying treaty in June 2012. However, the E-2 visa program for Israeli citizens could not become effective until Israel...
On October 24, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum that adopts the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) decision in Matter of R-C-C-S-D- as official guidance for USCIS personnel. The AAO decision held that a public language immersion school may qualify...
For fiscal year 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 10,000 U petitions, which is the maximum number of U visas available each year. The U visa is a category reserved for qualifying foreign nationals who are victims of certain types of crimes....
The U.S. Consulate in Toronto, Canada, has implemented a new, streamlined E-2 visa application process for renewal cases. The revised process should make renewal applications faster and less burdensome for qualifying applicants. Overview of E-2 Visas The E-2 (treaty investor) visa is only available to a foreign...
A policy alert was issued in September 2014, announcing an update to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) online policy manual. The USCIS Policy Manual, which was published online in January 2013, remains a work-in-progress, with new sections sporadically being added. This latest addition pertains to...
In September 2014, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) designated fourteen ports of entry (POEs) for optimized processing of first-time Canadian applicants for admission in the TN or L-1 categories. While eligible applicants are not required to use these particular POEs, the CBP is encouraging...
